Jordan Peele says he’s ‘glad’ he chose not to direct ‘Akira’ live-action remake
By Bryan Ke
Jordan Peele recently revealed that he is glad he decided not to direct the upcoming live-action remake of “Akira.”
Looking back on his decision during a recent episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, the 43-year-old actor and filmmaker said that while he was “so passionate” about the project, he does not regret declining the offer he reportedly received from Warner Bros. following the success of his 2017 horror film “Get Out.”
The live-action “Akira” project has been in development hell for over two decades and has jumped from one studio to another, with Sony being the first company to acquire its remake rights in the ‘90s.
The project – an adaptation of the 1982 cyberpunk post-apocalyptic manga series of the same name by Japanese manga artist Katsuhiro Otomo – eventually reached Warner Bros. in 2002, with “Blade” director Stephen Norrington becoming the first of several people who would eventually be tied to the project.
Other names that have been connected to the remake include Gary Oldman, Zac Efron, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield, Christopher Nolan and Keanu Reeves.
Peele noted, however, that he would still watch the movie that is now set to be directed by Taika Waititi and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
“I want to see Neo-Tokyo,” Peele told Horowitz. “I want to see an all-Japanese cast. I want to feel immersed in the world, the way of the films in the manga.”
In July 2019, it was announced that production on “Akira” would again be delayed indefinitely to give Waititi more time to film “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which was released in the U.S. on July 8, 2022.
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